Despite their show-ending bombshell announcement, Microsoft’s E3 press conference was something of a non-event. The house of X showed off titles that had already been seen or leaked, announced a handful of downloadable titles that weren’t exactly setting folks’ brains on fire, and revealed an embarrassing attempt to cash-in on the Mii phenomenon with Xbox Live Avatars. It’s embarrassing enough that the Avatars look so similar to Nintendo’s Miis, but it’s even worse that they were designed by Rare, the less-than-profitable appendage Microsoft cut away from Nintendo in the first place.
It wouldn’t have been difficult for Sony and Nintendo to one-up Microsoft’s event, but neither of the console makers did, both of them focusing more on sales data and business strategies than on software. In many ways, Nintendo’s 2008 conference was identical to 2007’s, with talk of DS and Wii growth, and Nintendo’s success in catering to female gamers. The chief difference was that there was even less Nintendo software on display this year. Nintendo’s only games were the much-rumored Animal Crossing for Wii (it’s Animal Crossing, but with voice support and skyscrapers), a peculiar beach-themed Wii Sports sequel that takes advantage of the MotionPlus (the Wii’s sixth peripheral), and the baffling Wii Music. It’s an air-instrument simulator. It’s not even a game. You just flail about pretending you’re playing an instrument, like what children do with sticks except it costs money. Sony’s two-hour-long session was particularly interesting following Nintendo’s, given their emphasis on their three successful consoles (Nintendo tried to play up a three-console strategy in 2004 when the DS was still an unproven oddity. The Game Boy Micro, their third pillar, crumbled upon release.) All in all, Sony’s conference was very much like Microsoft’s: previously seen/leaked games, a comprehensive new film-and-television digital-delivery service, and a couple of not-quite-earth-shattering new game reveals.
To be fair, both Nintendo and Sony had revealing moments during their conferences. For all of Sony’s emphasis on positive sales numbers, the biggest spin of their presentation came in the form of testimonials from Western developers expressing their love for the Playstation 3 hardware now that they’ve acclimated to its unique architecture. Bethesda, 2K Marin, EA’s Madden team; all developers whose debuts this generation were on Xbox 360, all developers who previously had trouble bringing their titles to PS3. It may not have been a bombastic moment, but it was one more vital step in improving public perception of Sony. It’s just a shame that the software on display didn’t do the same.
It was President Satoru Iwata who had the only interesting moment of Nintendo’s show. In the few moments he spoke before introducing Animal Crossing: City Folk, Iwata discussed Nintendo’s Brain Age, Nintendogs, and New Super Mario Bros., DS titles that have all enjoyed strong sales for over two years straight. He also pointed out the success his company’s titles have enjoyed throughout the calendar year. He may not have used these exact words, but this is Nintendo’s true disruption. Not changing play paradigms or pulling in a new audience. Nintendo has successfully altered the industry and the way games are consumed, further proof of the dissolution of the holiday release cycle and the viability of long-tail marketing for all games. Cole was right. We don’t need E3 anymore. The industry that necessitated it no longer exists.
Welcome to the true next-gen.
Related links:
E3 Day One: Microsoft, Sony, Final Fantasy, and For Whom the Bell Tolls
Wii MotionPlus – Say What, Nintendo?
Do We Need E3?